The
God-Idea

The reality or validity of belief in God is based on
man's understanding capacity and the maturity of the mind.

The Development of the God-idea

To trace the origin and development of the God-idea, one
must go back to the time when civilization was still in its infancy and modern science was
still unknown. Primitive people, out of fear of and admiration towards natural phenomena,
had believed in different spirits and gods. They used their belief in spirit and gods to
form religions of their own. According to their respective circumstances and understanding
capacity different people worshipped different gods and founded different faiths.

At the beginning of the God-idea, people worshipped many
gods--gods of trees, streams, lightning, storm, winds, the sun and all other terrestrial
phenomena. These gods were related to each and every act of nature. Then gradually man
began to attribute to these gods, sex and form as well as the physical and mental
characteristics of human beings. Human attributes were given to the gods: love, hate,
jealousy, fear, pride, envy and other emotions found among human beings. From all these
gods, there slowly grew a realization that the phenomena of the universe were not many but
were One. This understanding gave rise to the monotheistic god of recent ages.

In the process of development, the God-idea went
through a variety of changing social and intellectual climates. It was regarded by
different men in different ways. Some idealized god as the King of Heaven and Earth; they
had a conception of god as a person. Others thought of god as an abstract principle. Some
raised the ideal of Supreme deity to the highest heaven, while others brought it down to
the lowest depths of the earth. Some pictured god in a paradise, while others made an idol
and worshipped it. Some want so far as to say that there is no salvation without god?no
matter how much good you do, you will not receive the fruits of your actions unless you
act out of a faith in god. The Atheists said, 'No' and went on to affirm that god did not
really exist at all. The Skeptics or Agnostics said, 'We do not or we cannot know.' The
Positivists say that the God-idea was a meaningless problem since the idea of the term god
'was not clear'. Thus there grew a variety of ideas and beliefs and names for the
God-idea: pantheism, idolatry, belief in a formless god, and belief in many gods and
goddesses.

Even the monotheistic god of recent times has gone
through a variety of changes as it passed through different nations and people. The Hindu
god is quite different from gods of other faiths. Thus numerous religions came into
existence: each one differed greatly from the other in the end, and each one says that
'God is One'.

The God-idea and Creation

As each religion came into existence and developed around
the God-idea, religion developed its own particular explanation of creation. Thus the
God-idea became associated with various myths. People used the God-idea as a vehicle for
their explanation of the existence of man and the nature of the universe.

Today, intelligent men, who have carefully reviewed all
the available facts, have come to the conclusion that, like the God-idea, the creation of
myths must be regarded as an evolution of the human imagination which began with the
misunderstanding of the phenomena of nature. These misunderstandings were rooted in the
fear and ignorance of primitive man. Even today, man still retains his primitive
interpretations of creation. In the light of recent, scientific thinking, the theological
definition of god is vague and hence has no place in the contemporary creation theories or
myths.

If man is created by an external source, then he
must belong to that source and not to himself. According to Buddhism, man is responsible
for everything he does. Thus Buddhists have no reason to believe that man came into
existence in the human form through any external sources. They believe that man is here
today because of his own action. He is neither punished nor rewarded by anyone but himself
according to his own good and bad action. In the process of evolution, the human being
came into existence. However, there are no Buddha-words to support the belief that the
world was created by anybody. The scientific discovery of gradual development of the
world-system conforms with the Buddha's Teachings.

Human Weakness and the Concept of God

Both the concept of God and its associated creation myths
have been protected and defended by believers who need these ideas to justify their
existence and usefulness to human society. All the believers claim to have received their
respective scriptures as Revelation; in other words, they all profess to come directly
from the one God. Each God-religion claims that it stands for Universal Peace and
Universal Brotherhood and other such high ideals.

However great the ideals of the religious might be, the
history of the world shows that the religions up to the present day have also helped in
spreading superstitions. Some have stood against science and the advancement of knowledge,
leading to ill-feelings, murders and wars. In this respect, the God-religions have failed
in their attempt to enlighten mankind. For example, in certain countries when people pray
for mercy, their hands are stained with the blood of the morbid sacrifices of innocent
animals and sometimes, even fellow human beings. These poor and helpless creatures were
slaughtered at the desecrated altars of imaginary and imperceptible gods. It has taken a
long time for people to understand the futility of such cruel practices in the name of
religion. The time has come for them to realize that the path of real purification is
through love and understanding.

Dr. G. Dharmasiri in his book 'Buddhist critique of
the Christian Concept of God' has mentioned, 'I see that though the notion of God contains
sublime moral strands, it also has certain implications that are extremely dangerous to
the humans as well as to the other beings on this planet.

'One major threat to humanity is the blindfold
called 'authority' imposed on the humans by the concept of God. All theistic religions
consider authority as ultimate and sacred. It was this danger that the Buddha was pointing
at in the Kalama Sutta. At the moment, human individuality and freedom are
seriously threatened by various forms of authorities. Various 'authorities' have been
trying to make 'you' a follower. On top of all our 'traditional' authorities, a new form
of authority has emerged in the name of 'science'. And lately, the mushrooming new
religions and the menace of the Gurus(as typified by Jim Jones), have become live threats
to the individual's human freedom and dignity. The Buddha's eternal plea is for you to
become a Buddha, and He showed, in a clearly rational way, that each and every one of us
has the perfect potentiality and capacity to attain that ideal.'

God-religions offer no salvation without God. Thus a man
might conceivably have climbed to the highest pinnacle of virtue, and he might have led a
righteous way of life, and he might even have climbed to the highest level of holiness,
yet he is to be condemned to eternal hell just because he did not believe in the existence
of God. On the other hand, a man might have sinned deeply and yet, having made a late
repentance, he can be forgiven and therefore 'saved'. From the Buddhist point of view,
there is no justification in this kind of doctrine.

Despite the apparent contradictions of the
God-religions, it is not deemed advisable to preach a Godless doctrine since the belief in
god has also done a tremendous service to mankind, especially in places where the god
concept is desirable. This belief in god has helped mankind to control his animal nature.
And much help has been granted to others in the name of god. At the same time, man feels
insecure without the belief in god. He finds protection and inspiration when that belief
is in his mind. The reality or validity of such a belief is based on man's understanding
capacity and spiritual maturity.

However, religion should also concern our practical life.
It is to be used as a guide to regulate our conduct in the world. Religion tells us what
to do and what not to do. If we do not follow a religion sincerely, mere religious labels
or belief in god do not serve us in our daily life.

On the other hand, if the followers of various
religions are going to quarrel and to condemn other beliefs and practices -- especially to
prove or disprove the existence of God -- and if they are going to harbor anger towards
other religions because of their different religious views, then they are creating
enormous disharmony amongst the various religious communities. Whatever religious
difference we have, it is our duty to practise tolerance, patience and understanding. It
is our duty to respect the other man's religious belief even if we cannot accommodate it;
tolerance is necessary for the sake of harmonious and peaceful living.

However, it does not serve any purpose to introduce this
concept of god to those who are not ready to appreciate it. To some people this belief is
not important to lead a righteous life. There are many who lead a noble life without such
belief while amongst believers there are many who violate the peace and happiness of
innocent people.

Buddhists can also co-operate with those who hold this
concept of god, if they use this concept for the peace, happiness and welfare of mankind
but not with those who abuse this concept by threatening people in order to introduce this
belief just for their own benefit and with ulterior motives.

For more than 2,500 years, all over the world, Buddhists
have practised and introduced Buddhism very peacefully without the necessity of sustaining
the concept of a creator of God. And they will continue to sustain this religion in the
same manner without disturbing the followers of other religions.

Therefore, with due respect to other religionists, it must
be mentioned that any attempt to introduce this concept into Buddhism is unnecessary. Let
Buddhists maintain their belief since it is harmless to others and, let the basic
Teachings of the Buddha remain.

From time immemorial, Buddhists have led a peaceful
religious life without incorporating the particular concept of God. They should be capable
of sustaining their particular religion without the necessity, at this juncture, of
someone trying to force something down their throats against their will. Having full
confidence in their Buddha Dhamma, Buddhists should be permitted to work and seek their
own salvation without any undue interference from other sources. Others can uphold their
beliefs and concepts, Buddhist will uphold theirs, without any rancor. We do not challenge
others in regard to their religious persuasions, we expect reciprocal treatment in regard
to our own beliefs and practices.